Blandeferd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Blandeferd family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the region of Blandford. Further research revealed that the name is derived from ford where gudgeons abound around the county of Dorset or it may be "taken by post-Conquest scribes to mean 'White Ford,' as evidenced by the Latinization Blancoforda. " 1

Early Origins of the Blandeferd family

The surname Blandeferd was first found in Dorset at Blandford, a parish, in the union of Blandford, hundred of Coombs-Ditch, Blandford division. Abut three quarters of mile south lies Blandford-Forum. This latter parish "derived its name from its situation near an ancient ford on the river Stour, called by the Romans Trajectus Balaniensis. It was nearly destroyed by an accidental fire in 1579, but was soon afterwards rebuilt. " 2

Henry Blaneforde (fl. 1330), was an ancient English chronicler and monk of St. Albans. "A fragment of his chronicle has been preserved. Beginning with the year 1323 he possibly intended to continue the work of Trokelowe, which ends at 1330. What we have of his chronicle, however, ends in 1324, though it contains a reference to an event of 1326. The only manuscript of Blaneforde now known to exist is in the British Museum. " 3

Early History of the Blandeferd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blandeferd research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1619, 1635, 1638, 1662, 1665, 1671 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Blandeferd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blandeferd Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blandeferd include Blandford, Blandeford, Blanford and others.

Early Notables of the Blandeferd family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Walter Blandford (1616-1675), an English academic and bishop, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1662, Bishop of Oxford in 1665 and Bishop of Worcester in 1671. He...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blandeferd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blandeferd family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blandeferd or a variant listed above: Alexander Blandford settled in New England in 1699; John Blandford settled in Jamaica in 1684; John Blandford settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1620..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print